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Wroblewski ’13, Criniti ’15 Attend CGI U

Posted on Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Sara Wroblewski '13 and Michaela Criniti '15 recently attended the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), held at Washington University in St. Louis. The three-day conference brought together more than 1,000 undergraduate students from around the world who hope to develop solutions for global issues.

Wroblewski and Criniti applied to the program together to focus on One Bead, a project that Wroblewski brought to the campus' attention last year through her participation in "The Pitch."

Created by Former President Bill Clinton in 2007, CGI U aims to help students in their effort to tackle significant world issues. Each attendee must create a plan, called a Commitment to Action, which focuses on education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation or public health.

Through smaller group sessions, attendees learn new skills and network with peers, who may be focusing on similar issues. Students also get the chance to hear from professionals who have been successful in making a global difference.

Describing the conference as "part inspirational, part motivational," Criniti explains, "Our overarching goal is to incorporate arts, music and athletics into the curriculum in Kenya."

Wroblewski, who graduated cum laude in media and society, attended CGI U last year, but focused on a slightly different aspect of the One Bead project. With hopes to expand One Bead nationwide, attending CGI U again this year seemed like a natural step toward networking and helping attract larger donors.

Criniti says that participating in the conference was crucial to remaining motivated. "All of these students from all over the world know exactly what you're going through and know how hard it is," she explains. She hopes to be able to attend the conference again next year in order to continue expanding One Bead.

The photo above features, Wroblewski (right), Criniti (center) and Quinn Cutchin, who is a junior at Wake Forest University.